Salaries are only an aspect of any employee’s total earnings. Benefits are very important, as they offer the resources workers require to avoid burnout.
Benefits help companies to attract prospective workers and demonstrate that they are invested in maintaining their workers’ overall health and well-being. In the healthcare industry, benefits help the registered nurses (RNs) stay well-rested, healthy, and inspired to perform to their best abilities.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Employee Benefits Survey evaluates benefits for workers in numerous different industries. The survey puts in consideration of benefits like paid vacation leave, paid family leave, retirement benefits, and subsidized commuting.
According to the BLS’ discovery, nurses rank first for obtaining access to childcare, paid family leave, and overall employee wellness benefits.
- 28 percent of nurses receive childcare
- 36 percent get paid family leave
- 81 percent can take use employee wellness programs.
Factually, nurses receive a higher percentage of benefits compared to all other workers in the U.S. in nearly all categories. This guide outlines benefits for nurses and explores how they compare to other professions.
Registered Nurses Have Better Access to Employee Benefits
Some common employee benefits, including paid sick leave, paid holiday leave, and healthcare. The data below shows the percentage of RNs who have access to these benefits in comparison to the percentage of all workers with access to the same benefits.
According to the available data, nurses enjoy greater access to 11 out of 12 benefits than all workers in other fields.
The benefits with the biggest percentage point difference in access were:
- Employee wellness programs. Almost 81% of nurses have access to this benefit, compared to 44% of all other workers. That’s a whooping 37% difference overall.
- Life insurance. Almost 84% of nurses received this benefit, compared to 73% of all other workers. Another huge 24% difference.
- Retirement. Approximately 90% of nurses enjoyed retirement benefits, compared to 71% of workers in other fields. That is a 19% difference.
The only instance in which all other workers received better access to a benefit than nurses involved a flexible working timetable. This is fairly unsurprising to lots of nurses, who frequently work nights and 12-hours shifts. Overall, nurses enjoy much more benefits than the average worker does.
Percentage of Employees With Access to Each Benefit:
Registered Nurses Compared to All other Workers
| Employee Benefit | Registered Nurses | All other Workers |
| Paid Sick Leave | 94% | 78% |
| Paid Holiday Leave | 92% | 78% |
| Retirement Benefits | 90% | 71% |
| Employee Wellness Program | 81% | 44% |
| Healthcare | 91% | 73% |
| Paid Vacation Leave | 89% | 76% |
| Life Insurance | 84% | 60% |
| Paid Family Leave | 36% | 21% |
| Flexible Work Schedule | 10% | 12% |
| Subsidized Commuting | 14% | 8% |
| Student Loan Repayment 10% 4% | 10% | %4 |
| Childcare | 28% | 11% |
Basic Salary
Registered nurses receive an average salary of US $36.30 per hour, or US $75,510 annually, as of July 2021, as established by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. High wages ranged from $54,44 an hour, or $113,240 a year, but could also drop to less than $ 28.63 an hour, or $59,540 a year.
Employers
With 3,956,080 jobs, registered nurses make up the largest professional subcategory by virtue of health professionals and technical occupations, which had over 8,000,000 professionals with an average salary of US $36 hourly, or US $80,649 annually, in 2021.
The biggest employers of RNs are surgical and general practice hospitals, with medical offices following behind with more than 8% of jobs. It’s important to note that the employers with the highest salaries were personal care services.
Locations
The most populous states provided the most jobs for certified nurses in 2021. California topped the list with 9% of the positions and average salaries of $113,240 per year, according to the BLS. Texas was next with 7% of jobs and an average salary of $83,478 annually. For the best wages, California topped the list, followed by Massachusetts, with a median wage of $96,250 annually, and Hawaii, with a median wage of $ 41.74 per hour, or $ 86,810. by year.
Access to Employee Benefits Has Improved for Nurses Over the Past Decade
The below data highlights how nurses’ access to benefits has changed over the past decade. As the data shows, the percentage of nurses who have access to these benefits has increased in every category.
Among the major findings are:
- The biggest change happened with employee wellness programs. In 2020, 81% of nurses benefited from these programs, compared to the 59% in 2010. That’s a 22% change.
- The number of nurses who had access to life insurance policies also increased visibly. A decade ago, almost 73% of nurses held life insurance policies, which has since increased to 84% in 2020. That is a difference of 11%.
- Subsidized commuting had the least growth. In 2010, 11% of nurses were reimbursed for their cost of commuting. By 2020, that percentage only increased to 14%, a difference of 3%.
If the trends continue, access to these benefits should continuously grow.
Registered Nurses Enjoy an Above Average Number of Paid Vacation Days
The table below illustrates the average number of paid vacation days for nurses compared to all other workers. The table also shows how those numbers varied by length of employment.
As the data shows, nurses constantly received more paid vacation days than all other workers. On average, nurses are given three more days of paid vacation than all other employees, a figure that’s consistent all through the length of employment. As you would see:
- After a year, nurses would receive 17 vacation days, on average compared to the 14 vacation days for all other workers.
- After 20 years, the difference remains constant. Nurses would’ve received an average of 26 vacation days, while all other workers get an average of 23 vacation days.
Research has shown that taking vacation days help keeps better mental health and improved productivity. Lots of nurses do not take advantage of their allocated paid vacation days, citing scheduling complications or other responsibilities. However, professionals who work in high-pressure environments like healthcare could help manage their stress better by taking time off.
Average Number of Paid Vacation Days by Length of Employment
| Registered Nurses | All other Workers | |
| After 1Year | 17 | 14 |
| After 5 Years | 21 | 18 |
| After 10 Years | 24 | 21 |
| After 20 Years | 26 | 23 |
Great Benefits Create Happy Employees
Research has shown that great benefits only reinforce better employee retention rates. A survey from America’s Health Insurance Plans discovered that 56% of working people with healthcare benefits considered their healthcare coverage to be a major factor in if or not to stay at their current job.
This information can also serve as a strong tool for nurses on a job hunt. Bearing these figures in mind, nurses might be able to bargain the benefits in their employment agreement. People who are aware that most nurses get paid vacation and sick leave are more likely to request these benefits in their employment conditions.
They are now also aware that it is far less common to receive benefits, like subsidized community and childcare. The healthcare industry still has room for improvement. Only 36% of nurses access paid family leave, 28% get childcare, and 10% receive support with student loan repayment.
Nevertheless, nurses enjoy an abundance of benefits compared to all other workers in the United States. These benefits aid their great performance, reduces the room for burnout, and pay off for employers. After all, happy and fulfilled employees lead to better result for patients.
